She groaned when her jaws opened so far they popped unnaturally, her mouth elongating into a snout complete with twin rows of razor-sharp fangs.
Once her arms and legs were finished reforming, she stood on all fours and experimentally swept her massive tail back and forth, testing its strength. She was immediately overcome with an euphoric bliss and wondered why she didn’t let her true form out more often.
When she caught movement in her peripheral, she remembered her reason for shifting and stepped from the funnel, allowing it to shrink into a small tuft that then floated toward her, rushing in her open maw. The small rays of light entering the partially covered windows refracted off her shimmering scales and cast a disco-ball effect all throughout the room.
She hissed through her open mouth, her long tongue darting out like a snake. Snapping her jaws shut so forcefully a tuft of smoke came from her nostrils, she felt that familiar ball of flame burst in the back of her throat. She was fully prepared to kill him, to roast him like a suckling pig over an open spit. But just before she let the fire emerge, the bedroom door swung open so hard bits and pieces of wood and metal hinges burst through the air.
She turned narrowed eyes on the interloper stupid enough to confront an irate dragon and then she stilled, swallowing the ball of raging flames rolling in her mouth.
Chapter 8
Axel stood in the gaping hole the door left behind, his clothes in ragged tatters, his face, arms and hands completely saturated in blood. His chest - exposed from lack of a shirt - heaved up and down in a furious pace.
Her eyes were immediately drawn to the elaborate tattoos swirling across the smooth expanse of his skin. Tribals on either arm, what looked like a bird circling his neck and a snake winding around his wrist. She’d never seen anything so exotic. Growing up sheltered and pampered, anyone with body piercings or tattoos were considered too crass for her company.
But in seeing the magnificent ink marring her mate, she suddenly couldn’t wait to get one of her own.
When his flapping shirttail impeded his movement, he merely reached up and ripped the remnants from his torso, leaving her to purr in appreciation at the sight of his naked upper body. She’d yet to see him in his full glory and if this teaser was any indication of what else was hiding beneath his pesky clothes, then she couldn’t wait to tear the rest from him - with her teeth.
Her gaze finally worked its way from his glorious body to his glowing blue eyes. She inhaled sharply when she realized the heated teal was the exact color of his scales. Oh the Elder woman was right, he was simply magnificent in his dragon form, but in seeing him now, half-naked with his dragon shimmering beneath the surface, she couldn’t wait to get her hands on him.
It was then that she finally noticed that his eyes were locked on hers. She suddenly remembered she was in dragon form herself and wondered if the gaze he gave her was of appreciation as well. They shared a few moments of mutual heat and it was like time itself froze for only them.
They were the only ones in the room.
His eyes took in her impressive form and for a brief moment, a hint of lust flashed in his sky-blue orbs. He realized just how wrong he’d been in thinking she’d be a small dragon. She was the poster child for what’s on the outside doesn’t always match what’s on the inside.
His cock hardened at the mere thought of having the female beast beneath him, writhing and screaming his name over and over. More than anything though, he couldn’t wait to have her while they were both in dragon form. It wasn’t something normally done in this day and age, but he’d sell his soul for the chance.
He mouthed the word ‘later’ at her and then advanced on the figure writhing in pain at Michelle’s clawed feet.
Reaching down, he grabbed Connor by the shirt collar and hauled him to his feet like a limp rag-doll. Tears stained the usurper’s face he sobbed uncontrollably at the pain.
“And you thought you’d be strong enough to claim my throne?” Axel mocked humorously. “You can’t even take on my mate, what made you think you could take me?” Axel extended one arm, allowing it to morph into his dragon’s form and then using his carved talons, he swept them viciously across Connor’s jugular and then dropped the man like he was garbage.
He turned back to Michelle and smiled before collapsing to the floor on his knees. She tilted her head and studied him as he shoulders began to shake. When he looked back at her, she sucked in a breath at seeing the tears in his eyes.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he panted and held his hands out helplessly before him. Both human again, he studied the weak, bloodied flesh and cursed himself mentally. He’d failed to protect her and that was something he wouldn’t stand for ever again. Her blood now ran through his veins and he couldn’t refuse to take her as a mate any longer.
Towering over him in her dragon form, he knew she could take care of herself and he wouldn’t have to worry about ever losing her again. Once they were formally mated, he’d always be able to find her and once they sealed the ceremony by sharing each other’s bodies, he would be in her mind as well.
In a bright flash of light, Michelle allowed her body to return to human and rushed forward to embrace Axel. She ran her shaking hands all over his body, checking to see how much of the blood was his.
“I’m so sorry,” he rasped and lowered his head to her shoulder, his mouth and nose nuzzled in the hollow of her neck. He inhaled her scent and didn’t catch the sob before it rolled from his chest. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
She shushed him with a few comforting words but knew deep down something had changed within him. He wasn’t the same arrogant, overbearing asshole she’d first met. She’d been able to do something no one ever thought possible and that was bring a dragon Prince to his knees.
“Let’s go home,” she murmured and helped him to his feet. “You know Elder Coffer was behind all this, don’t you?” she added as they stepped over bits and pieces of furniture littering the floor.
“Yes,” Axel conceded. “And I’ll make sure he pays dearly for it,” he promised, his voice low and deadly. Michelle knew the Elder was good as dead and she wondered just how he would accomplish that, but decided now was not the time to ask.
Sensing her anxiety, Axel pulled her body tighter to his side, his arm slung over her shoulder for more support than he’d liked.
“Don’t worry,” he consoled. “We need him for the mating ceremony and after our honeymoon, I’ll summon the other Elders and present the evidence to them. They won’t allow his behavior to continue. Once they dole out their punishment, I’ll make sure Elder Coffer never conspires against anyone else.”
Chapter 9
Like the ceremony he’d witnessed between Jaxen, the Earth elemental Prince, and his new-found mate Olivia, the service didn’t take long. Elder Coffer stood off to the side, a permanent frown etched into his face. Axel winked at him, a silent promise that the man’s days were numbered. The gesture had the desired effect as Coffer quickly vanished after the nuptials concluded.
Axel and Michelle loitered long enough for everyone present to offer their congratulations and then he hurried her off to his bedroom where he thoroughly intended to ravish her until she was so hoarse she couldn’t scream his name any more.
He carried her across the threshold and then dropped her unceremoniously on the bed, teasing a squeal of delight from her. They made short work of disrobing and crawled beneath the covers, prepared to languish affection on each other.
“You are so beautiful,” Axel whispered as he lay atop her, her legs spread wide to accommodate him. She ran her soft heel up and down his calf muscle while her fingers were busy doing erotic things to his mouth and lips. She would dip one deft digit into the wet cavity of his mouth, giggling when he nipped at the tender flesh and then pull it out to lightly trace his lips.
“I hated the idea of mating you,” she announced bluntly and laughed when his face contorted in shock. “No, I mean I’d heard so much about you th
at I was afraid our marriage would be long and loveless,” she rushed on to explain. “But now, I think I’m of a different mind.”
“Is that so?” he asked with a smirk. “Well, My Lady, allow me to start this union off on a high note,” he drawled and then thrust his hips, entering her in one hard, fluid motion. Knowing she was a virgin, he hadn’t wanted to hurt her and figured it was like ripping a Band-Aid off. The quicker the better. When she hissed in his ear and then bit his lobe rather forcefully, he wondered if maybe he’d made a mistake.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he murmured against her temple.
“You didn’t,” she reassured him. “I was more than prepared,” she added and then raised her hips to his in an effort to take all of him inside her. “Just fuck me,” she pleaded. “No customs, no hesitations, no worries, just make me yours,” she demanded.
Axel smiled and pulled out before ramming back in. He was more than happy to do it her way. He pumped his hips as fast as he could without completely losing his mind and wanted to purr with pride as she met him thrust for thrust. She raised her legs, wrapping her heels together across his back and pulled him harder and faster until his eyes crossed in pure bliss.
Michelle dug her nails into Axel’s delectable butt, pulling with every ounce of strength she possessed. It was as if she wanted to pull him completely inside of her where he belonged. Where they’d never be apart again. Goosebumps rained along her arms and legs when he pressed his lips to her throat and began nibbling. Her bodied readied itself for what was to come and a flood of heat washed through her vaginal walls.
Axel inhaled sharply.
“My God you’re so tight and wet,” he whispered in awe. “I can feel you milking me with every thrust.” He ended his revelation with fangs piercing the soft skin at her neck. She gasped at the pain from reopening the original wounds. But like with before, the discomfort soon disappeared, replaced by a mounting tension in her loins.
Her womb felt like a coil, wound so tight it couldn’t hold another twist. And just when she thought she was going to die the spring snapped with such a force her hips bucked wildly beneath him. She screamed his name over and over, his hips thrusting with each time, punctuating her pleas with those of his own.
Soon as some of the tension loosened in Michelle’s womb, a rush of heat flooded her and she knew it was Axel’s seed pouring into her.
“Bite me,” he begged. “Hurry!”
Only too willing to please her new mate, she raised up and scored his skin with her own set of fangs. She clenched her teeth when Axel threw his head back and roared so forcefully the walls shook. He pumped his lower body harder and harder, the spurts of fluid never ceasing to stop as she drank from him.
She loved the thought of his life forces entering her in two separate places and wondered how long it took dragons to conceive. It was the one thing about sex she’d never really thought to study. Children were a rare commodity among their race and those lucky enough to finally reach that peak never wanted to share any details.
“Don’t worry Love,” he murmured once she’d released his neck. “We’ll have a houseful of dragon brats before you know it.”
She shoved him back enough so that she could see into his eyes.
“How did you know what I was thinking?” she asked.
“We’re one now,” he explained. “Your thoughts are my now as well. I can also see through your eyes as if I were inside you, but that is something that will take a little time to perfect.” He smiled. “All I’m seeing right now is a really bedraggled man who needs a shave staring back at me.”
She playfully slapped his chest and moaned when he moved off her. Laying on his back, he pulled her body up to his, her stomach nestled snugly into his side. She placed her cheek on his chest, just above where his heart beat and smiled in contentment.
After such a strange turn of events, she had to admit that her trip to America had totally been worth it.
“So,” he drawled lazily. “Where you getting that tattoo?”
***
THE END
paranormal academy
Chapter 1
I am one of the lucky ones. Most gifted people, most commonly known as monsters, are killed as soon as they come of age. It is a human’s legal right to kill a marked individual on sight. When I was young, as with the majority of my classmates, I was brought to a magically protected boarding school—Edmund’s Academy for the Gifted. Humans are pinged across the world if they attempt to infiltrate, and the gifted with malevolent intentions are sent back from where they had come. As long as they enter the academy with pure intentions, they can stay, even if those intents change. As a student, I am safe.
At the age of nineteen, we gain a marking on our backs. It’s when the gifted become fully grown and legally able to be killed. To us, the marks are simply overdue birthmarks. They are different for everyone. They map out the destiny of their inhabitants, yet can be seen by anyone other than the wearer. After all, it is forbidden to know your calling unless deemed necessary by a prophet. Others are able to see pieces of the marking, but no one person can decipher the entire thing.
I turn nineteen years old in six minutes.
“What do you think your marking will say?” Coral asks from the bunk above mine. Her long red waves run down the side of our bed, and her excited voice energizes me. I am jittering from the anticipation of receiving my mark. What will the marking feel like? Will I feel an entirely new sense of importance once I am officially marked? I keep my eyes glued to the clock on the other side of the room.
“I don’t know. Do you think it will hurt?” I ask nervously. I was born at 4:36 PM on July 2, 2197, and I have been waiting for this moment my entire life.
“It shouldn’t. I call being the first to see,” she squeaks. I don’t allow my eyes to veer in Coral’s direction, but her hair disappears from my peripheral vision and I hear her walking around the room. Most people don’t have their best friend to comfort them while they receive their marks.
“What if I don’t have a great destiny?” I ask, biting my bottom lip. I pull my bleach blond hair over my shoulder and allow it to fall down my right side.
“Snow,” Coral starts, “your destiny is bound to be important. You are the only Elite mermaid in the academy.” I sigh and look away from the clock. Coral’s hair is the first thing that catches my attention, which is not unusual in any way. The mermaid warfare professor calls her Ariel, which is the name of an old movie character from the early 2000s. None of the students in the academy have lived nearly long enough to watch the film. All of the movies that gave monsters a positive connotation were destroyed. The average lifespan of a mermaid is about 300 years, so some of the professors were around to see the movies before their downfall.
“Being Elite means nothing,” I argue. It is simply the status a person gains if they are the leading individual in their species. They must have good scores in academics, battlefield strategy, ability control, and defense tactics. I just happen to have the best scores in each of the categories. Coral and I are both exceptional at controlling our abilities, so we room together.
“It means everything. You have more opportunities than any of us. We are all forced into the human world after graduation, but you can stay here forever because you’re an Elite,” Coral says. I nod and look back at the clock. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. “It’s time,” she says.
I feel a slight burning sensation ease up my back slowly, starting just above my coccyx and widening as it slides up my back. The sensation is unlike anything I’ve ever felt and it fills me with purpose. It continues for less than a minute before stopping at my shoulder blades. My entire back is covered and I run to our full-length body mirror. I turn and pull my shirt over my shoulders before looking into the mirror.
I see only tanned skin. “Is it there?” I ask.
She clears her throat, and I monitor her every expression through the mirror. Her eyes widen and she rushes forward. “It’s there,
” she murmurs. I grin from ear to ear and attempt to decipher her shocked expression. She can only see a small portion of my prophecy, but what she’s seeing is causing her face to spasm with multiple different emotions.
“What is it? What do you see?” I ask.
She smiles and shakes her head. “Being Elite definitely means something,” she says with a smile. We both know that it is against the rules to divulge another person’s destiny, but I can tell by her mere facial expressions that she saw something important.
A scream echoes through the corridor loudly and my attention flies to the door of our room. Coral looks at me curiously and I do the same. I throw my shirt over my head before running from my room with Coral on my tail.
The hallway is crowded with curious teenagers of all different origins. A few pixies float through the air and the magicians stand in the front of the crowd. Vampires make up the majority of the group. There are more vampires than any other species at the academy. A few mermaids are in the hallway, speaking among themselves curiously.
It’s odd to have so many different species gathered around when we are usually separate. We have classes with our own kind and avoid other groups the majority of the time. I try to push myself to the front of the crowd in general curiosity. Coral leads, but I am grabbed from behind and pulled backward quickly. I don’t struggle against the grip of the person. Once I am in the back of the crowd, I am met with the calculated silver eyes of the academy’s Headmaster.
“Miss. Annesley,” he greets me, “I have an important matter we need to discuss.”
Chapter 2
On the way to the Headmaster’s office, I can’t help but wonder what had happened. He walks silently and I follow closely. When we arrive, I am ordered to sit. “Snow Annesley, it looks like you have killed your roommate,” he says with a firm, unreadable tone.
I gasp and stand, ready to defend myself. “No, that’s impossible. I was waiting in my room with Coral. I received my mark and she saw it. Jasmine,” I begin, thinking about where my second roommate had gone. “Jasmine went to get an early dinner,” I recall. I look at the Headmaster in surprise, coming to a shocking revelation.
Mafia Daddy: An Older Man & A Virgin Romance Page 38
